Whether you’re marketing your business online or just scrolling through your Facebook feed, we’ve all seen countless trends come and go over the years. We are used to things changing so quickly that it’s often surprising to look back and see what the internet was like just a few short years ago. In 2016, social media began to cement its position as one of the most popular sources of content for the modern generation. For this reason, it’s more important than ever to keep your finger on the pulse. What we’re considering ‘trends’ today will quickly become tomorrow’s standard.

Social Video
When YouTube was first purchased by Google, the concept of on-demand streaming video was incredible. Today, video has become almost as popular as photos with social media sites. Both Instagram and Facebook have implemented video in such a way that users don’t even have to request it. It just starts playing. As engagement quickly becomes one of the most important metrics for our digital marketing campaigns, video presents a unique opportunity. With major brands pushing video heavily, it’s clear that this strategy is effective.

Personalization
All content providers are focused on building a platform that gives users what they want. Personalization is a major part of this. For businesses, this means that it’s more important than ever that we engage our customers online. Once we’ve connected with them on social media, it becomes much more likely that members of their network will be exposed to our content.

Mobile Focus
It seems as if mobile optimization has been a trend for the past five years. This year, it’s proven that it’s past the point of being a trend. Today, mobile traffic now exceeds desktop traffic. You’re not just missing out on traffic with poor mobile optimization, you’re missing out on the entire market. If Google’s AMP for mobile and Facebook’s Live features are any indicator, not creating a good mobile design may eventually prevent your content from being presented to users.

Expiring Content
This year, there were more snapchats viewed than videos on YouTube. In an age where we can access any piece of information we want at the touch of a button, the feeling of something fleeting has captured user’s attention in a way that we never thought possible. This year, the functionality of Snapchat was borrowed by Instagram, recycling the concept into what they call “stories.”

Social Shopping
Historically, social media was always viewed as strictly noncommercial. Directly selling your products or services was reserved for SEO and PPC. But Facebooks marketplace has taken off, showing that users are now willing to buy and sell goods on social media. At present, social shopping is heavily targeted towards local users, with most buy and sell pages attached to a specific city. There have not yet been any powerful advertising packages released to allow businesses to take advantage of this market yet. Fortunately, we can feel confident that it’s on the way. If this continues to grow at such an explosive rate, social media could very well be the future of ecommerce.

I was looking to buy koozies custom printed to market for a new client and found a great site expressimprint.com which let me design them online. Really cool sites to get koozies that are made in the USA! They sent me a bunch of samples to choose which one I wanted, Can’t wait until my custom printed ones arrive in the mail next week. Now is the hard part, which one should I get? After finding out which ones do work I will make my decision.

Do you have a co-worker that drives you nuts? I have one and he is the over arrogant, talkative and downright lazy person that you would rather disappear! But of course you can never actually make this person disappear; you just have to deal with him the best way you can. Here are some ways to handle irritating co-workers:

Be positive

The best thing that you could probably do is just to let the annoying things that your co-worker does to just roll off your back. Just keep a positive attitude and do your work. Anyway, he will never be able to finish his work or he will likely be transferred or terminated because of his negligence anyway. Stay focused and you will find yourself spending less time looking at his flaws.

Find a common ground between the two of you

If you think of only the negative side of your co-worker then chances are you will have a hard time accepting him. Why not find something that you two can compromise on. Find common interest like computer games, interest in the same song genre or even as subtle as the same taste in clothing. You will eventually find him less irritating when you find something common between the both of you.

Be kindness and rewind…. Well don’t rewind just be kind

Even if you are dealing with a bully or someone that is out to bring you down, these people will never succeed when you turn their plans against them. Take your attention away from their plans and do not let these bring you down. Keep your chin up and stay away from any arguments or debates. Remember that doing this will only cause a negative impact on your work. Smile and show them that they can never rain on your parade and continue your work as usual.

Reject their attention in a polite manner

Be true to your feelings. If you just can’t stand the annoyingness of a co-worker, simply say no. tells them to respect your space and be polite about it. This will give them red flags that you mean business and that they should never bother you anymore especially when their concern is not work-related.

Assert your rights!

If you simply just had enough, assert your rights and take charge of the situation. If you have done every solution to deal with an irritating co-worker then you should come up to his face and tell him that he is affecting your productivity at work. Be polite but firm. If this does not solve anything, escalate the problem to your boss. Remember that each employee deserves a healthy and positive work environment and so never let bully co-worker drive you off the wall!

Ignore

Focusing on your co-worker’s flaws like his arrogance, laziness and stubbornness will only irritate you more and will make you become less focused on your work. If his attitude is just too much, your boss will be able to catch on to the problem and will surely call his attention. Your last step should be to ignore!

Your own small business can help you fulfil your personal financial goals for you and your family. By using sound small business management tips anyone can run his own business with ease. Here are some business management strategies you may find helpful:

Open your mind for advice – beginners are often too excited during business start-up that they fail to follow expert advice causing them costly mistakes. Take time to find sound advice from experts, business professionals and people who are prominent in business that also started out small.

Get professional help – do not overlook business management training conducted online, from community canters or colleges. You will learn so many strategies and business advice when you choose to get professional help.

Online marketing – aside from using traditional offline marketing strategies, you may want to start online marketing like using an official site or blog site, using social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter, using an online payment system, using videos and how to advice and so many more. Online marketing is the most popular marketing techniques these days since almost everyone uses the web every day. Online marketing will help you reach your target market with ease.

Manage your cash flow efficiently – most small businesses fail at income management since they do not have a specific cash flow strategy. You must keep your books organized, possibly a separate bank account for your business, keeping an update on payments made to suppliers and money coming in and of course seeking financial advice should you need one.

Manage your employees– you need a sound employee management plan as well since your business will grind to a halt without them. From training your employees, developing a suitable compensation plan, scheduling and evaluation of their skills for work, you must be able to meet their needs so that they will be able to work more efficiently as well. Remember that when employees become dissatisfied with their work, your business, customer relations and services suffer. Do not overlook your employee management to prevent these complications.